There weren't any bizarre interruptions that created circus sideshows out of pothole repairs, in-race tweeting and 10-foot curtains of flame in Turn 3.

NASCAR's premier series returned to normalcy in the 55th running of the Daytona 500, which was won by the sport's most reliable success story of the past decade: Five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

Perhaps after a chaotic Nationwide race that ended with a shredded catchfence and 28 injured fans (two critically), the Sprint Cup circuit needed a relatively uneventful day. Especially when there still was plenty of history - stamped again by pole-sitter Danica Patrick - and tradition to be celebrated despite a decided lack of on-track drama.

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., who scored his best finish since missing two races with a concussion last fall, the 2013 edition of Speedweeks provided a jolt even if the signature event was lacking indelible moments.

"I noticed (Saturday) night coming out of the track for dinner, there just seemed to be a different vibe inside the infield," NASCAR's 10-time most popular driver said. "People ... seemed to be a lot more excitement about the race.

"That really was the biggest motivator for me today. I think we're headed in the right direction. We may not be consistently each week, but I thought today for some reason it just felt like we're on the right track as a sport."

Spotlight on Patrick

Much of that direction is predicated on the new Gen 6 car, a sleeker model designed to enhance passing while re-establishing the link between stock cars and its showroom counterparts. Its ballyhooed debut produced mostly single-file racing Sunday in Johnson's second Daytona 500 victory, but the race likely will be largely remembered as Patrick's first star turn on NASCAR's biggest stage.

In a race largely devoid of side-by-side action (the antithesis of Saturday's Nationwide race that ended with Kyle Larson's Chevrolet flying into the frontstretch catchfence and sending 14 injured fans to the hospital), much of the drama was provided by Patrick.

Though she failed to lead the first lap from the pole, the Roscoe, Ill., native hung tough throughout and stayed in the top 10 for 500 miles on the way to an eighth place â?? the first top-10 in Daytona 500 history by a woman.

By seizing first on a lap 90 restart, she became the first female to lead the race. Patrick is also the 13th driver to lead both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500 â?? placing her in the esteemed company of current and future Hall of Famers such as Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Tony Stewart, Bobby Allison and Johnny Rutherford.

"I thought that was a much cooler stat for me (than being the first woman to lead)," Patrick said. "I'm honored. I'm on the quest to be the best driver, run up front, get to victory lane. These things happen, and I'm proud, but they're not the ultimate goal."

She also dismissed the notion that it would be a harbinger of her season.

"That would be unwise to sort of start telling myself that top 10 is where we need to be every week," she said in a nod to the racing style at Daytona that slows the down cars and de-emphasize a driver's impact. "This is a unique track. You have to be smart enough to do the right thing at the right time, but it's very much about the car."

But veteran peers, though were speaking highly of Patrick, who scored only four top 10s in the Nationwide Series before making the full-time leap to Cup this season.

"She's going to make a lot of history all year long," Earnhardt said. "It's going to be a lot of fun to watch her progress. I think for whatever reason she seems to get a lot more out of that car. Every time I've seen her in a pretty hectic situation, she always really remained calm. She's got a great level head. She's a racer."

Said third-place finisher Mark Martin: "It's great for the sport."

A sick feeling

Martin was one of many breathing a sigh of relief Sunday about the state of NASCAR in the wake of perhaps the worst crash involving fans in its 65-year history.

Less than an hour before Sunday's green flag, Halifax Health announced that the two fans critically injured had been stabilized, and five had been released. NASCAR president Mike Helton opened the prerace drivers meeting with the news .

"I had a sick feeling all morning about what happened with the fans, which is something that we cannot have happen," Martin said.

NASCAR vice president of racing operations Steve O'Donnell said Sunday that Larson's car would be analyzed at its R&D Center by outside experts, who also would review video of Saturday's crash for possible catchfencing improvements.

But the concern that dominated Saturday's postrace mostly had dissipated by Sunday's green flag.

"I was just really waiting to get the news on how everybody was, especially for the two critically injured," Earnhardt said. "(I was) not really ready to proceed until you had some confirmation that things were looking more positive. Once you got in the car and the race started, it felt like business as usual."

With a preponderance of multicar wrecks in testing last month and throughout Speedweeks practice , drivers seemed timid to push the envelope on a 2.5-mile track where the high lane proved fastest. Except for a brief period when two lanes formed for several laps before a Lap 193 caution (which helped Johnson fend off defending series champion Brad Keselowski after trading the lead four times), it was mostly a single-file parade in the upper groove.

It was a stark contrast to recent seasons' furious pack and tandem racing that produced constant swapping of positions - and sometimes sheet metal. The Daytona 500's on-track starpower this year was eclipsed by the race's annual roster of celebrities, which Sunday included rappers 50 Cent and T.I., NFL stars Ray Lewis and Wes Welker, entertainers Drew Carey and James Franco, who started the race with a "Drivers â?¦ and Danica! Start your engines" command.

Keselowski suggested tinkering with the spoiler to improve the action but said it's "hard to judge."

Said fifth-place finisher Ryan Newman: "You have 42 guys that are content with getting to the end. This is a 500-mile race. We don't race for the win at the 200-mile mark."

Earnhardt concurred that "everybody is just logging laps" but also thought NASCAR was "just a couple of adjustments away from really being fantastic" with its rules package for Daytona.

"The surface is still relatively new, which provides tons of grip," he said. "If we had the old surface with this car, it would have been an incredible race, people sliding around, wearing tires out, just trying to dig as hard as they could. We'll get to that as the track ages. I'd hate to see them messing with the car to get a better package, because the track is in good shape.

"I think it's a great way to start the season. The car is doing everything we hoped it would do. I think it will just get better."

A successful partnership

Earnhardt naturally was in an effervescent mood after finishing second to Johnson, whose No. 48 Chevrolet is housed under the same roof as Earnhardt's No. 88 at Hendrick Motorsports.

Earnhardt, who finished last in the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup after being sidelined, and Johnson, who watched the points lead and championship slip away with mechanical problems in the final two races last year, both were seeking momentum entering 2013.

"I think it's important to get a good start," said Earnhardt, who has finished second in three of the past four Daytona 500s. "We're a good team. Hopefully we can keep the pressure on and stay up in the top five in the points. I want to really try to win some more races this year."

Victories haven't been any worry for Johnson, who scored his 61st triumph in his 400th start. But becoming the 10th driver to win the Great American Race was vindication that his partnership with Chad Knaus, the longest-running crew chief-driver combination in NASCAR, still remained the most adaptable to the challenges created by the first new model in six years.

"I'm just enjoying this moment," Johnson said. "This is a one-of-a-kind race. In the rush that follows, it's just time to sit back and enjoy."